BLOGS

Written by Robin Bell

"You've got a friend in me..." sings Randy Newman on the Toy Story soundtrack. It's a song which has appeared in all three films, and it's an apt sentiment for anyone who has watched a Toy Story film - once seen they are forever in your heart, and many children have grown up with Toy Story, with both films having enormous re-watch quality. Many adults have also relived their childhood through the films, but now it's time for it all to come to an end. Get the tissues out, it's time to grow up.

I couldn't really find fault with Toy Story 3. One small problem could be that with its themes of growing up and leaving behind childhood, small kids might not relate to it as much as the first two films but this didn't seem to be the case. Toy Story 3 rounds off the trilogy in perfect fashion, and will probably end up being the film of the summer.

What truly impresses about the third instalment is Pixar's no fear approach to pushing the boat out. It would have been quite easy to rest on their laurels - the audience would have seen Toy Story 3 no matter what the plot - so the fact that they weave a truly dark tale that ends up in a location that could easily be seen as a metaphor for hell is commendable. The film has scares, including the aforementioned setting, while for the finale there is also a creepy baby and a frightening surveillance monkey, but there are also many laughs, cute moments, great camaraderie - pretty much everything you expect from a Toy Story film, but maybe with even more tears than the first two induced.

By the time the strains of You've got a friend in me come around for the final time, although this time in Spanish, you'll be tearful yet laughing, and I guarantee you'll leave the cinema with a smile on your face thinking "I'm going to miss those characters." But don't worry, there's always the DVDs, you've always got a friend in those.